(Klagenfurt 1891–1949 Garmisch)
“Bergbauernhaus”, around 1934, signed Mulley as well as titled and signed on the reverse “Bergbauernhaus” Mulley Oskar Garmisch, oil on canvas, 80 x 140 cm, framed

Expertise:
Dr. Günther Moschig, Wörgl, 2 June 2020

Provenance:
Hermann Böcker, Munich – thence by descent –
art dealer, Germany
Private Collection, Germany

Extract from the expertise:
...Oskar Mulley created his most important paintings during the Kufstein years from 1918-1934, paintings which have found their way into the canon of modern alpine landscapes, alongside works by the Tyrolean painter Alfons Walde. Mulley continued to use the spatula technique from 1934 onwards in Garmisch, before opting for finer brushwork in his late paintings.
The composition, painting technique and colouring of the work shown above clearly reveal the hand of Oskar Mulley. In terms of style, the picture can be dated to around 1934, during the Garmisch period which saw him continue his earlier spatula technique from the Kufstein years. The painting is a fine example of Mulley’s technique of applying the paint in layers.
In the present picture, Mulley adheres to his compositional scheme of having the exposed architecture in the foreground, against the backdrop of dramatic mountain scenery merging into the sky itself. The hanging geraniums offering vibrant splashes of red are characteristic of his painting and are used again and again in his numerous mountain farms, along with the colourful washing that makes an appearance there. His mature spatula technique and the blue undertones in the colouring hint at its date of origin.
Acquired by Hermann Böcker in Munich in the 1930s, the painting’s provenance is assured. Hermann Böcker was the son of the manufacturer and patent owner Ernst Böcker, who founded a company for the production of sourdough in Minden, Westphalia in 1925, the ‘Ernst Böcker Sauerteigfabrik’. The painting has been owned by the family ever since and came into the art trade from the heirs of the Böcker family themselves.